Improvement in curry-combs



B. F. NEAL.

Curry'Comb.

No.- 40,179. Patented Oct. 6, 1863.

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UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. NEAL, OF POULTNEY, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN CURRY-COMBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,179, dated October 6, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. NEAL, of Poultney, in the county of Rutland and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Making Curry-Combs; and I do hereby declare the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the finished comb. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the swaged back plate, the raised portions thereof cut through for the insertion of the tooth-bars. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the back plate on the line a' x of Fig. 2, with a toothbar and handle-shank inserted. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a finished back plate, with a small portion of one corner removed and two tooth-bars and handle-shank inserted. Fig. 5 is a toothbar. Fig. 6 is a handle-shank.

The curry-comb of which I claim to be the inventor consists of a swaged or corrugated sheet-metal back plate, single sheet-metal tooth-bars, and handle-shank, and is formed or made in the following manner: The single sheetmetal tooth-bars are straight on one edge and serrated or toothed on the other, as shown at Fig. 5, of anysnitable length, width, and thickness.

The back plate is swaged or corrugated, forming projections or convexities-on one side, and concavitieson the other, as shown at a a 0., Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, for holding the tooth-bars in place in the manner to be hereinafter described. The back plate is also swaged at or near the middle transversely to the toothbars and opposite to the other swagings, as shown at 1), Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, the concavity of this swaging being on the same side as the convexity of the other. This swaging oo1nmences at one edge of the back plate and extends inward far enough to be crossed by two or more of the tootlrbars, as shown by c in Figs. 2, 4, and is broader at the inner end than at the edge of the back plate, as also shown at c in Figs. 1, 2, 4, forming whatis technically called dovetailed groove. The projections or convexities before mentioned are cut through down to the surface of the back plate in the direction of the length of the tooth-bars and parallel with each other, of suficient width for the thickness of the toothbars, as shown at d d d in Figs. 2, 4. A piece of iron or other metal is formed so as to fit the shape of the recess formed by the swaging at or near the middle of the back plate, as shown at Fig. 6, and having a plane face on one side and long enough to extend beyond the edge of the back plate sufficient to hold the handle.

To put the several parts of the comb together, the tooth-bars are placed into a suitable vise or clamp, to hold them firmly, with the straight edge up. Upon these is placed the piece of metal, forming the shank, with the plane face down or next to the tooth-bars, and upon these is placed the back plate, with the cut projections or convexities down or next to the tooth-bars, the edges of the tooth-bars entering the cuts in the projections and protrudin g through the back plate, as shown at e e 6, Figs. 3, 4,' and the shank entering the dovetailed groove at the middle of the back plate, as shown at f, Figs. 3, 4, when the edges of the tooth-bars are headed down within the concavities of the back plate, holding themselves and the handle-shank firmly to the back plate without other fastening, maltin g a strong, cheap, and durable curry-comb.

I disclaim the use of single sheet-metal tooth-bars of themselves, as they are in use in S. J. WVheelers curry-comb; but

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a swaged or corrugated sheet-metal back plate and single sheetmetal tooth-bars with straight back edges in curry-combs, the swagings or corrugations of the back plate to be of sufficient depth to brace and support the tooth-bars without side projections on them, the swagings or corrugations of the back plate to be cut through on a line with the tooth-bars, and in depth down to the surface of the back plate, and of sutficient width for the thickness of the toothbars, into which the edges of the tooth-bars are placed and headed down on the opposite side within the concavities of the back plate.

2. Swaging the dovetailed groove in the back plate to receive the handle-shank between it and the tooth-bars, so that when the tooth-bars are fastened to the back plate the handle-shank is firmly secured to the other parts of the comb without other fastening.

BENJAMIN F. NEAL.

Witnesses H. T. HULL, J. G. HARRISON. 

